Giant gerbils infest China: BBC

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In the Xinjiang region of China, an overwhelming population of gerbils is causing significant destruction to grasslands, with authorities reporting extensive damage from numerous rodent burrows. The situation has raised concerns about the ecological impact on local prairies. Some speculate that these gerbils may have escaped from laboratories, potentially linked to experimental efforts by the Chinese Space Program. The discussion touches on humorous suggestions, such as involving celebrities in addressing the issue, but the primary focus remains on the environmental crisis caused by the gerbil population explosion.
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An explosion of gerbils is decimating vast areas of grasslands in China's north-western Xinjiang region, with some of the prairies completely destroyed by hundreds of rodent burrows, according to authorities in the region

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3162743.stm
 
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Goodness, I hope people don't start de-clawing these monsters!
 
We could lend them Richard Gere
in exchange for an agreement to
stop spying on our technology.
 
"Possibly escaped from laboratories, the gerbils are thought to be the result of a failed attempt by the Chinese Space Program to develope a faster-than-light propulsion system that would involve feeding diet pills to the hyperkinetic rodents and placing them on exercise wheels..."
 

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